Psychology Facts

▲ Pica ▲

》Pica is an eating disorder where a person compulsively eats things that aren't food and don't have any nutritional value or purpose. Depending on when and why a person does this, pica can be normal, expected and harmless. However, it can cause major problems if a person with this condition eats something toxic or dangerous.

》Pica can happen to anyone at any age but tends to happen in three specific groups of people:

Young children, especially those under 6 years old.

People who are pregnant.

People with certain mental health conditions, especially autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities or schizophrenia.

》Pica is a relatively common condition, but experts aren't sure exactly how common it is. That's partly because research studies often don't use the same definition for this condition.

》Other conditions that can happen because of pica include:

Anemia (low iron).

Ascariasis (roundworm infection).

Constipation.

Electrolyte imbalance.

Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias).

Lead poisoning.

Small intestine and large intestine obstruction/blockage.

》People with pica often eat the following:

Ash.

Baby or talcum powder.

Chalk.

Clay, dirt or soil.

Coffee grounds.

Eggshells.

Feces (poop) of any kind.

Hair, string or thread.

Ice.

Laundry starch.

Paint chips.

Paper.

Pebbles.

Pet food.

Soap.

Wool or cloth.

》Experts don't know exactly why pica happens. However, researchers know certain factors increase the risk of developing it.

Cultural or learned behaviors.
Certain types of pica are common, socially accepted behaviors in certain cultures and religions. A religious example of this is the practice of eating dirt at El Santuario de Chimayó, a Roman Catholic shrine in New Mexico, USA.

Stress or anxiety.
Pica might be an outlet or coping mechanism for people with these issues.

Negative conditions during childhood.
Pica is more common in children living in low socioeconomic situations (such as poverty), but why this happens is unknown. Some possible explanations include that pica is a coping mechanism for children to deal with situations of abuse or neglect. It also might be attention-seeking behavior, especially when one or both parents are absent for any reason.

Nutritional deficiencies.
People who show signs of pica often have mineral or other deficiencies in their diet. Iron (anemia), calcium and zinc deficiencies are some of the most common reasons people show these signs.

Mental health conditions.
These include conditions that a person might develop spontaneously, conditions they had at birth because of disruptions in how they developed in the womb and genetic disorders they inherited from their parents.

Medical conditions.
Pregnancy and sickle cell anemia are two conditions that have connections to pica.

Certain medications increase the risk of someone developing pica or similar behaviors. But it's unknown if these medications actually cause people to develop pica.

》Diagnosing pica requires four criteria (with the mentioned exceptions explained after the list):

Time.
The diagnosis requires persistent eating items or substances with no food or nutrition value for at least one month.

Mental development.
This means a person has developed past a certain point mentally and should know not to eat things that aren't food or have no nutritional value.

No social and cultural factors.
This means the person doesn't have social or cultural background reasons to explain the behavior.

No medical or mental health conditions.
This means pica isn't happening because of any other conditions.

》The main form of treatment for pica is therapy, with different therapy methods available depending on the situation and individual needs. A few therapy methods that are possible include:

Mild aversive therapy.
This method involves teaching people to avoid pica behaviors using mild aversions (consequences) to teach people to avoid non-food items and positively reinforcing (rewarding) healthy eating behaviors.

Behavioral therapy.
This therapy method involves teaching a person coping mechanisms and strategies to help them change their behavior.

Differential reinforcement.
In this method, people learn to avoid pica behaviors by focusing on other behaviors and activities.